Speaking of labor, one interesting development is the decision by the NFL players union to affiliate team members with AFL-CIO locals, fully integrating the organization into the country's largest labor federation; Ben Smith obtained a memo from President Richard Trumka pledging to work with the players on "common challenges." This is important in advance of the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players early next year.
Josh Goldstein, an AFL-CIO spokesperson, tells me that "the significance here is mostly on the solidarity and unity fronts entering into even tougher negotiations." Asked if that could include other AFL-CIO locals, from electrical workers to nurses, organizing and demonstrating alongside the players, Goldstein says, "absolutely. Many of the players have been involved locally already and this helps reinforce that and provide more opportunities."
This comes after Trumka and the AFL-CIO accelerated their involvement in the collective-bargaining negotiations, in part because of the broader jobs impact that a cancelled season entails -- imagine all the stadium workers, etc., who lose out if games aren't played. It's worth watching to see how the labor movement's involvement in the NFL bargaining process plays out, with blue-collar workers lining up alongside millionaire athletes, at a time when the labor movement as a whole is facing a tough environment.
-- Tim Fernholz
